The Day That Molly and the Doctor Ran
by Lilian Katora
Summary: Molly Hooper: Age ten. The Doctor: A sad man in a box. The Ponds are gone, and with yet another heartsbreak, the Doctor is reluctant to admit he's in pain. It's when a shy little girl comes into contact that the Doctor might admit that no, he's not alright.
1. Chapter 1

**a/n: I'm not entirely sure wherE i was going with this...um...from the title and description I just...sort of wanted to write a story about the Doctor, lonely and sad, helping someone overcome their shyness and in return easing some of his own pain. It takes place sometime after the angels take manhatten (R.I.P Ponds) but before the snowmen. It's at a point before the Doctor becomes mr. scrooge, but still sad and trying to keep up the pretense he's not.**

**With me so far? Anyway, pease give me some kind of feedback. I'm really curious to see how this all turns out. Read on! Geronimo!**

"Ew. I _hate _mushrooms. They taste funny and...okay. They just taste funny. But I hate them!" The Doctor rambled on one morning, running into the TARDIS. Morning? Afternoon? Night? It made no difference. He was in the TARDIS and he was just glad to leave it at that.

The Romans had offered him helpings of some, and stupidly he had agreed. He hadn't known he hadn't liked then. How was he supposed to know, anyway? Try every food that came across his way? Oh! Now _there _was an idea. But nevermind that. He needed to get the TARDIS flying. It didn't matter where just as long as he was going. Apparently, mushrooms were 'the Food of the Gods' and offering him some was sacrilege. One friendly Roman woman ignored the tidbit and offered him one anyway. And now he was on the deathlist of many, _many _Roman soldiers. Yikes.

Someone outside banged heavily on the doors-the TARDIS hummed in protest.

"Alright! Alright! I'm taking us out of here! Just...half a minute!" He set the Directional Pointer to random and powered up the Atom Accelerator. Another having BANG.

The TARDIS shook, jostling the Doctor.

"Alright! I get the point! Let's get out of here! Geronimo!" He pulled a lever and (quite happily) Old Girl began to dematerialise. "There. See? I've-" The Doctor turned to boast to his companion what he had done but fell silent. There _was _no one. They all had gone. Somewhere in space and time, there were out there living out their lives. Forgetting him. He shook away the sudden lonliness, focusing instead on setting a course.

He stared at the controls.

'_Why's it a phone box?'_

_'Sorry, what?' _

_'On the outside it said police box. Why have you labelled a time machine 'police box'? Why not 'time machine'? Is that too obvious? And...'_

Again. The Doctor sighed. His eyes widened when he realized his hand was resting on the telepathic ciruits. Resigned, he hastily snatched his hand off it.

'_He's got a wooden time machine. Do you feel stupid?' _

"Stop it. Just...stop it. Oh look, now I'm talking to myself. My past is haunting me and I'm talking to myself." The Doctor muttered as he ran around the console, pushing buttons, diving across to pull a lever here, and stabilise the temporal rotor there.

'_It's disguised as a police telephone box from 1963...' _He had taken his hand off the telepathic circuits. The voices should have stopped. But wait...was it all just filtering through his head, amplified thoughts not able to be thrown away easily? Was that it? Was he lonely?

"Shut up." It wasn't easy, being a Time Lord and all. His mind was so much more vast than any human being's comprehension. There was literally a whole other world hidden away, stars and worlds all tucked away in his memory. Every now and then some of the memories would escape. Every now and then he wouldn't be able to stem the flow.

'_We're in space.'_

_'Yeah. Outer space.' _It wasn't fair. It just wasn't fair.

'..._We are in space! Whoo!' _The ache of missing them...it got to him sometimes. Just sometimes when there was no adventure, the times when he was just a sad old man in a box. WHAM. All of a sudden, the Doctor could feel himself being pulled away from the controls, and down to the floor. The TARDIS shook itself violently, using its gravity to keep a lock on him.

"Wait. What's going-" There was only a small audible wheeze from the console before all hell broke loose. The walls shook like frightened children, the lights flashing like fireworks on the fourth of July. Frankly, it was madness.

"Sexy, seriously. What's happen-" Another jolt from the TARDIS. Whatever was happening, it was obvious the TARDIS had a destination in mind. He hoped, for once on his long, long life, that it was someplace quiet.

**A/N: Oh, and by the way, just for fun watch this video: watch?v=-SZmlhUHF_Y**

**I love it, AND THE SONG TOO. :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N : Thanks for the review! I really appreciate it! Seriously. I do:) I thought i'd give whoever's reading this story a bit of a backstory on Molly and Sherlock. This is before Molly realises she might actually have feelings for Sherlock and get flustered around him. Anyway, I liked writing this:)  
p.s that deduction sherlock does later, I wasn't entire sure how to go with that. if you think it's brilliant, then "I knew all along what I was doing" but if it isn't well, just consider it babble. "  
Anyway, read on and enjoy! Post a review if you like, also. That wouldn't hurt :)**

Molly Hooper was not much for tea parties or playing princesses. And she wasn't much for playing with dolls either. But what Molly had going for her was her ever-burning curiosity for...wait for it..._adventure._

Now, the most times Molly ever felt most alive were the times when she was alone. So it was no wonder when one boring afternoon she was ramping through the bush (she and her mum lived in a nice, modest country home just beside a forest), muttering aloud to herself.

"...and anyway, I don't see how...tea bags...and then they all ran away. Seriously. It's getting ridiculous." She wandered through the thickened brush, making sure her trousers weren't caught in any stray twigs or branches along the way. Molly surveyed the foliage and the undergrowth with delight. She found it interesting and saddening to see how people, with all their radios and cars, could ignore such peaceful bliss in the trees. It sounded strange, but then Molly Hooper had always been a little strange. Maybe that was why she had no real friends. Sherlock didn't count her as a friend. All he did was stay at home and read and read and read...it was dull, but she didn't dare admit that to him. He'd go off and rant about how people didn't _see _things the way he saw them and were all way too preoccupied with the daily humdrums of life.

But she did, secretly, like him. Despite all the impertinence, she was sort of...fond of him.

Molly sighed, glancing around. This would all have been a bit more fun if she had had someone with her. But no matter. She wasn't going to complain. She began to hum to herself.

The forest had always been a bit spooky to her, but spooky in a bizarrely good way. It made her feel as if she wasn't alone, and for most of the time she was. Looking around in the forest made her feel a little sad. She always felt a little sad when she thought about Mum and Dad.

She remembered the first time her parents had spoke about moving to London.

_"Just think about, Anne! I can get a better job, you can show Molly the sights! It's perfect!"_

_"Maybe too perfect." Anne's worried tone didn't pass by unnoticed by her husband._

_"What's wrong?"_

_Anne shrugged, muttering under her breath "What about Molly?" Molly was six-she was sitting on one of the steps, peeking quietly through the stairway rail. _

_"She'll love it there!"_

_"How can you be so sure?" Anne's doubt made Ron feel a little restless. All he wanted to do was move to London with his wife and daughter. All he wanted was a well-paying job, and the fast paced life of a city. An actual city! Was that too much to ask?_

_"Fine. What do you suggest?"_

_Anne thought about it._

_"We can keep a house here, live here in the summer and live in London for the rest of the year." Anne sighed at Ron's expression. "You've seen how much Molly loves it here. She adores the forest."_

_"I just..." The truth was, Ron wanted to get away from the country. He found it overbearing and dull. Or rather: overbearingly dull. But if staying meant Molls being happy, then he was willing to sacrifice a few months. Besides, it would only be for the summer months anyway. It wasn't like they'd be living there forever._

_"Alright. Let's-" Ron broke into a wide grin when he noticed a little girl dressed in a pink nightie peeking from the stairway. Her wide brown eyes wondered shyly at her parent's talk._

_"Molls. Come 'ere." At his warm, familiar words, Molly ran down the steps and into his arms. Ron set his little girl on his lap, giving her a loving peck on the cheek. Molly giggled. "So? What do you say, Molls? Want to go see what old London town's like?"_

_Sheepishly, Molly nodded. Ron nodded to Anne, who was also smiling. She was just glad that everything was fine. _

_"There. Now we're all happy."_

But less than two years later, they _weren't _all happy. Once Daddy had gotten a taste of London life, he couldn't give it up. So with months of endless bitter arguments and feelings that were inevitably hurt, Anne moved back to their county home in the summer without Ron. They had divorced by the time Molly had turned nine.

With joint custody between the two, Molly flitted back and forth between London and her home on the country. While in London, Daddy had been busy with a business partner which left Molly bored and wandering. She went outside her Dad's business firm, and ventured across the streets, making sure to keep in sight of Dad at all times. But it was there when she was bored and Dad was busy that she met a certain Sherlock Holmes. He had deduced everything about her in a matter of minutes, including the horrible truth that her parents were, in fact, D-I-V-O-R-C-E-D.

But despite his flagrant disregard for politeness, Molly took a liking to him. He was interesting. And he didn't seem to mind that she had divorced parents, unlike so many other girls at school.

_"What's your name?" Molly asked, sitting beside him. They were both sitting on a bench, him seemingly absorbed in his book ('The Many Branches of Science' Molly observed) and her wanting him to talk already._

_"Sherlock." he answered._

_"Have you lived in London for long, Sherlock? I haven't. Daddy's in that building there," she pointed across the street. "We've only been here-"_

_"-a few months. Yes. I know." Molly stared at him._

_"How did you know that? Nobody knows that, except for me and Daddy. And mum."_

_"But she's in the country." He turned a page in his book._

_"How-" Molly couldn't keep the look of amazement from her eyes. This boy-this boy she had never before met-knew things. But how?_

_"Simple. Your notebook told me." Molly peered down at her lap, which rested a purple-bound notebook. It had scribbles and stickers spread all over the cover._

_"My notebook?" Sherlock sighed, finally putting down his book. If it was so interesting, Molly thought, then maybe she could take a peek at it. He snatched the book from her hand, his electric blue eyes roving over it almost relishingly._

_"You see this doodle?" he pointed to a picture of three stick figures drawn in black ink-a man, a woman and a girl in between clutching their hands. A pink cloud surrounded them, along with a bright coloured rainbow hanging over. "Nobody who's happy draws a picture like that. 'Specially with the deep impression around the faces. They all have smiles, which I guess is nice though a little revolting no offense. But the deep impression and the unconscious reiteration of smiles and the three of you-" all around the notebook were three figures, each of different size. "together implies a desire for wholeness. So, what does that mean? Your parents aren't together anymore. You said yourself you and your Dad live here. But where's your Mum? If she doesn't live in London, and if you haven't been living here long, where would she be? Plus, your over-enthusiastic curiosity for the city means you're still adjusting to it. So? You're a girl who's still adjusting to the city. Where did you live before and where is your mum now? The country."_

_Molly found herself all flustered and quiet._

_"How did you know about me living here just a few months?"_

_A smirk tugged at the corner of Sherlock's lips._

_"Your said it yourself. You haven't been living here long. It wasn't that big of a leap."_

_"How old are you?" She couldn't help it. The question just rolled off her tongue. The boy sitting beside her and clutching her notebook was different. His features were all angular and he had a mass of curly dark hair but that wasn't what made him different. It was his...attitude. Mum had taught her the word. Sherlock seemed to have a different attitude than anybody else that made him seem...older._

_"Eleven." he answered simply. _

_"Well," Molly cleared her throat feeling slightly uncomfortable. But the amazement was still there. "that was...brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. Nobody at school can do that."_

_Sherlock peered curiously at Molly and laughed. She joined in._

_"Molly! For God's sake...I leave you alone for one minute..." a man's strained voice carried across the street and Molly immediately stopped laughing. Dad was ready to go home. She'd have to say goodbye to her new-found friend._

_"Can I have my notebook back, please?" She held out her hand. Sherlock, still amused, handed her it. Molly jumped from the bench, waving at Sherlock. But before she crossed the street, he spoke to her._

_"What's your name, then?" She rounded to face him, blushing but all the while smiling._

_"Molly."_

_"See you around then, Molly. I might get my brother Mycroft to drive us around and show us all the sights." He have a half-wave before diving right back into his book. Molly watched him for a minute, elated at the very idea he had proposed. But Dad's insistent calling made her turn back around and cross the street. She hoped Sherlock would. _

Molly smiled to herself before continuing on through the bush.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N : This may have turned out a bit darker than I intended. But this is Molly Hooper-I thought that maybe i'd give people another look about her. I like Molly.  
Anyway, read on and enjoy:)**

"Ow."

Molly muttered under her breath, as she climbed. They always made it look easier in the movies: all the spies and the action heroes. But Molly wasn't an action hero or a spy. She was just Molly. A girl who, as it turned out, was actually pretty good at climbing trees.

She had a few scrapes here and there, of course. Who wouldn't? But, as Mum always said, to get to the top you're going to have to endure some scrapes and bruises.

By the time she actually reached the top, she was out of breath. But still, that didn't stop her from smiling.

_'How your relentless hungry eyes...'_

There was this song Daddy used to listen to.

'_Speak of cloudy summer skies...' _

She'd catch him listening to it sometimes. Just sometimes. When he thought he was alone.

_'The morning dew turns into rain_  
_Lonely winds will call my name..._' Perhaps it wasn't the most appropriate song to think of, but then...Molly was only ten. She didn't really care about what was appropriate or not, to be honest.

She missed Daddy.

'_Dying leaves of seasons brown...'_

Molly caught a brief glimpse of sunlight winking at the top and sighed wistfully. Perhaps this was why she liked to be alone. When she was with everybody else, her mum and her mum's friends, they just...didn't _allow _her to miss Daddy. All mum would say was that Daddy was happy and it was best to not think about him until she'd actually see him again. Which was a load of bollux in Molly's eyes.

'_Losing life as they drift down...' _It took her a few minutes to realise she was crying. Hastily, she wiped at them, muttering to herself,

"Don't cry. Don't cry."

'_Too soon in life, return to Earth...  
Only they can know their worth.' _Wiping at her eyes though...wasn't exactly the best move. Barely a split second later, Molly felt herself slipping from the branch.

Eyes wide, heart pouding, she clutched desperately at the branch.

"Mum! Mum!" she called. All she could hear in the woods was the faint whisper of the leaves whistling and her own laboured breathing.

'_Distant dreams of things to be...'_

Where was Daddy? Where was he? Molly started to cry. Here she was, barely hanging onto a branch, inches from death. Well, that sounded dramatic, didn't it? For some reason, Molly wasn't scared of dying. She didn't know why. It didn't sound too terrible. After all, she learned from all the great wizards, Gandalf and Dumbledore to be specific, that death was but the next great adventure. Why should she be afraid of adventure?

'_Wandering thoughts that can't be free...'_

She was only afraid of The Fall.

'_I feel my mind turning away...' _

And just like that, Molly Hooper let go.

* * *

He groaned.

Blinking rapidly, he thought he could see trees. Trees? No. That couldn't be. He was in the TARDIS. Perhaps some kind of spillage was leaking into the console room and making him hallucinate...

He laughed.

Gradually, he sat up. Okay then. So he was in a forest. But, after a quick glance around, he could see no familiar sight of a certain blue box. Where the heck was he?

Up ahead, he could hear someone yell.

"Mum! Mum!" It sounded like a young girl. Instantly, he was on his feet, sonic screwdriver whipped out and running to the source of the yell. Whoever she was, she sounded like she needed help. That's what he was for, wasn't it? Help?

"_You never interfere in the affairs of other peoples or planets unless there's children crying." _Precisely.

Ignoring the sudden ache in his hearts, the Doctor ran, shocked when he saw a little girl hanging precariously up in a tree, feet dangling. He was the Doctor. Of course he would help.


	4. Chapter 4

Before she let go however, she could hear a grown up's voice calling down from below. He was yelling something about catching her, but all she could think about was Daddy. She wanted her Daddy. She chanced a peek below and saw a strangely clad man below. Was that a bowtie? Molly almost smiled. She rather liked bowties.

He was holding out his arms for her..did that mean he could help?

Molly didn't know how much longer she could hold on.

* * *

He glanced up, holding out his arms.

"Hold on! I'll catch you!"

The girl above screamed down at him, "You know, that doesn't really make any sense. First, you want me to let go, and then you want me to fall so you can catch me?"

The Doctor had to smile, despite himself. The girl, apart from being terrified out of her wits, made a fair point. That hadn't really made any sense at all. He shrugged.

"It's the best I could come up with. Now-" Too late. She was already propelling down towards him, travelling at an unparallelled speed. It was odd watching her-she was a like a bullet the way she fell, all a blur. He could barely see her before he caught her.

His arms almost collapsed when she finally landed safely in his arms. If he hadn't been there...he grimaced just thinking about it.

"Are you okay?" It took him a moment, but when it came, he noticed the girl was silently crying. And shaking. But she nodded, motioning for him to put her down.

When she was on her feet, he asked, "How did you get up there?" He had to cup his hand over his eyes as he looked up-a thin, but powerful ray of sunlight streamed down. The branch the girl had been climbing on to was high. _Really _high. Fifty feet off the ground at least. For a-he glanced at her. She looked ten at least-ten year old, that was a pretty high climb. Impressive.

The girl sniffed, wiping her eyes. The Doctor gave her a kind smile. Warily, she returned the smile.

She had nice eyes-a soft sort of brown. Young. So, very young. _He _could barely remember a time when he had been that young. The girl had a doey kind of innocence, except there was something more. If anyone else had been giving her a careful once-over (she had almost fallen to her death, after all) they'd have missed it. They'd have presumed her to be a shy, little girl who liked climbing tall trees. There was a hesitancy, yes, about her whole look but even so...

The way she stared up at him so curiously...without fear or even terror...there was something..._something..._

"What's your name?" he asked her. The girl shook her head. "What? You're not allowed to talk to strangers?" She nodded. "Is that a rule?" Again, she nodded. He sighed. "Well, that's a shame. But I suppose, a good one. Although, just between you and me," he leaned in close towards her, and whispered with a conspiring grin. "I'm all for breaking the rules. Well, the ones that don't matter, anyway."

The girl remained silent. She opened her mouth once, as if to speak, then shut it again. He realised he'd have to pull out the big guns if she was ever going to speak.

"Well, since you can't _talk _to strangers, that doesn't mean strangers can't talk to you. Hello. I'm the Doctor." he extended his hand. He was left hanging for a minute or two before she took it and shook. There. Now they were getting somewhere. Speaking of which...where _was _he?

"Hey..if you don't mind me asking but...where are we?" The girl remained tight-lipped. She must've thought he was trying to trick her into talking to him. In a way, he supposed, he was. Clever girl.

"Okay. I get it. Mum's word is..well, word. But come on. Just a little sentence wouldn't hurt." He said hopefully. But still-the girl wouldn't budge. Talk about obstinancy. "Well...I told you who I was...I'm the Doctor. There." he clapped his hands together, marvelling at his own brilliancy. "We're not strangers!" The girl cocked her head to the side, debating it. He could see her mind working it out and finding the logic completely sound.

"Also," he added helpfully. "you didn't seem so shy when you were yelling down at me from that tree." He smiled as her cheeks turned a warm shade of red.

"I..." she finally said. "I...didn't mean to-"

"'Course you did. And you were funny. So...how 'bout that name, eh?"

She rubbed her hand, casting those lovely eyes down.

"I...my name...I'm Molly Hooper."

Beautiful name. "Well, then Molly Hooper. Mind telling me where we are?"

Barely audible, she mumbled, "Gloucester." His eyes widened. So _that's _where the TARDIS had left him. But why? What for? What was the-and then it hit him. Molly Hooper. Where had he heard that name before?

Again: there was more to this ten year old than what met the eye.

"So...judging by the size of the trees and the calming effect of the trees...we're in the Forest of Dean, aren't we. Molly?" She nodded.

Molly pointed to his bowtie.

"Why do you wear that?"

The Doctor glanced down and smiled faintly.

"_Well I just saved the world. The whole planet for about the millionth time. No charge. Yeah, shoot me. I kept the clothes."_

_Amy raised a skeptical brow. "Including the bowtie?"_

_"Yeah. It's cool. Bowties are cool."_

_"Are you from another planet?"_

He chuckled softly to himself. Oh, humans. They never changed, did they?

"What's so funny?" The sound of Molly's voice brought him sharply back to the present.

"Oh. Nothing in particular."

"That's funny." Molly smiled. "I do the same thing. I laugh at nothing in particular. Mum and Daddy think it's strange."

"They would, wouldn't they? My own mum thought I was strange." he laughed.

"What happened?" The question startled him.

"Sorry?"

"What happened?" Molly kept her earnest eyes on him as she spoke. "You said 'was'. That...that means, I think, that happened in the past. At least, that's what Sherly would say but I'm not nearly as good as him."

"Who's 'Sherly'?"

Suddenly, Molly became quiet. Her cheeks turned even redder, reminding the Doctor of apples on a bright summer's day. She fidgeted uncomfortably, which could mean only one thing: whoever this 'Sherly' was, Molly Hooper had a crush on him.

"So..." he approached carefully, knowing that these kinds of things were needed to be taken very, very seriously. "This Sherly..."

"Sherlock." Molly muttered.

"Sherlock?"

"That's his name. Sherlock. I...I only call him Sherly. Shut up. It's not funny!" The Doctor suppressed an oncoming giggle, sobering up as he realised that Molly wouldn't talk to him otherwise.

"Okay. Okay. I'm sorry. It's not. But this...Sherlock...He's a friend of yours?"

She nodded, and her whole aura seemed to brighten when she mentioned a certian name.

"Yes! I met Sherly in London. He knew all about me from just my book and...the next day he had his older brother take us around town to show me the sights and-" Molly gulped in a breath, stemming the oncoming flow of words. "I...He's a good friend."

"He must be. You're very taken with him."

Molly gasped, forgetting all her Mum's rules and punching the Doctor in the arm. "I am not!"

"Ow! Ow! Okay. Okay, okay okay. Alright. Stop punching me. I won't say it again, but you know it's tr-" The next word was cut off sharply by a loud giggle, which, oddly enough, emanted from Molly herself. The Doctor joined in on the laughter, and for the next few minutes they did nothing _but _laugh!

"I thought..."Molly gasped, fighting for breath. "I thought adults were supposed to be serious. And NOT laugh."

"Why do you say that? What about your parents?" The Doctor wore the same wide smile as a sort of 'afterdose' of the giggling fit. But seeing Molly frown, it made him frown also.

"What's the matter?"

"Mum and Daddy hardly ever smile anymore." Molly looked away then, and pretended to be apparently so very absorbed in a nearby tree. She couldn't help, though, the way her eyes teared up and the slight shake of her small form. She hated Divorces. They weren't better for anyone, no matter what the laywers said.

"Molly..." The Doctor's cautious-yet-inviting tone caught Molly's attention and she turned 'round to face him again.

"Yeah?"

"What do you say in, er, taking a quick peek at a magic box of mine?"

"Magic?" Molly replied in doubt.

"Yes," he nodded vigorously. "It has everything you could ever possibly want to see." He knew he should've been more careful. She was ten for crying out loud! But the other part, the part that didn't care at all and only cared at wiping the years away, wanted Molly to experience the thrill.

"I...I don't know. I have to be back for tea. Mum's having a friend over and-"

"Oh, don't worry! you'll be back wayyyy before tea! Five minutes, even!"

Molly raised a skeptical brow.

"Do you..do you have a time machine?" Sherly didn't believe in such things but she had to hope...She'd been dreaming for a moment like this since...forever!

He nodded. "So...what do you say? A quick hop about the universe and be back in time for tea?"

She had no idea what he was on about about, but as long as she didn't miss tea then...she supposed it was okay.

"Okay," she grinned.

"Good," the Doctor replied, his smile equally wide. He had worked it out. But he wasn't entirely sure if it was the same Molly Hooper or the same Sherlock...He had to be sure. He'd take her to another planet, perhaps, show her a galaxy or two, maybe go back in time, but all the while he needed to figure out who Molly Hooper was.

But, as always, priority one: he needed to track down and find his TARDIS.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N This chapter is a bit different from the other ones. You'll see what I mean when you get to the end aNYWAY, THANKS FOR REVIEWING AND I'M REALLY, REALLY sorry for not updating. Been busy and...well...living.  
Anyway, read on! :)**

Molly thought furiously as she walked beside the Doctor. She wouldn't let him hold her hand though-she was too smart for him. She knew there was a reason why mum and Daddy wouldn't let her talk to strangers. Sometimes, in the news, she'd hear that they had done bad things to girls her age who'd gone missing. But there was something different about him. Well, besides the bowtie and all.

Molly giggled to herself.

The Doctor glanced down at her curiously.

"What?"

"Nothing," she said, clearing her throat. But the smile still remained. They walked further on for a few minutes before the Doctor said anything else.

"If you see a blue box, just shout. 'kay?"

Molly's brow furrowed. "Why would I shout?"

"You're in a forest. YOU HAVE ALL REASON TO SHOUT!" He shouted, laughing. Molly gave him an uneasy smile. Besides him being weird, she liked him. He was nice, and seemed to genuinly know how she felt.

"So...what kind of name is Doctor, anyway?"

"What kind of name is Molly?" he challenged. Molly crossed her arms.

"My Daddy named me after my grandma."

"Well, I got to choose my own name. Aren't I lucky, eh?" Molly shrugged. "Okay. Molly, when we do go, you know when I eventually find my TARDIS, where do you want to go?"

_'TARDIS? What the heck was a TARDIS?' _Molly thought.

"I don't know..." she answered uncertaintly. "Wherever you can take me, I guess. Um...But we'll still be in time for tea, right?"

The Doctor nodded seriously.

"Of course we will. Wouldn't want you to get in trouble with your mum and Daddy."

"Are you sad?" The abrupt and completely unexpected question caught the Doctor off guard. He recovered, though, after a few seconds, and met Molly's anxiously inquisitive brown eyes.

"Why would you say that?" he managed to say. His throat felt all of a sudden very dry. He cleared it.

"I don't know." Molly did another one of her shrugs, and paused for a long moment. "You just seen...sad."

"Well, I'm not sad. I'm..." An old memory of Amy and Rory flashed across his vast mind. They were kissing each other on a rock. They had gone to central Park for a picnic. "...I'm happy."

Molly glanced up at him. She pursed her lips as she started intently at him, then looked away.

"You look sad," she muttered. They continued to walk. Every so often the Doctor's coat would snag on a stray branch and he'd tug at it until finally it would rip. In the end, he gave up and took it off, wrapping it wround his waist. He had never worn it like that before, but as Molly seemed to remind him each second they were together, it was always good to try something new. Even when you wanted to hold on to the old.

He cleared his mind, and searched around for the TARDIS. It wasn't until they neared the very edge of the forest that the Doctor realised it would take more than one day trek in a forest to locate his beloved Sexy.

They were in a field. Brightly green-coloured grass splayed all over the ground stretched in front of them, until they could see more trees in the background. But more importantly, with the sun sinking above them, he knew he'd have to get Molly home.

He turned around, telling Molly they'd have to head back and he'd take her some other time. As they went back into the forest, Molly asked,

"Which way do we go?" They had stopped.

"Uh..." The Doctor replied, unsure. Where were they? "Um...this way." He pointed randomly to his left. Was that the way? Or was it the right? He rubbed his forehead, feeling faintly tired. He reached for his sonic screwdriver, hoping it'd at least point him in the _right _direction. There was a problem. He couldn't find it anywhere.

'_It's probably buried beneath some books,' _he thought. He stuck his whole arm in his pocket, his hand roving over various sorts of objects. he found a barbie a friend had given him as a parting gift. He threw that to Molly, telling her she could have it. Truth be told, the friend _had _been a toddler.

He tried the other pocket. Nada. Things were looking very dreary, indeed.

"What are you looking for?" Molly asked, coming up to him. She had noticed with delight that the Doctor had magic pockets. She decided that whoever he was and wherever he came from, he was okay.

"Uh...a special screwdriver. It helps me with things, finding things, opening things. It's extraordinarly useful."

"What else do you have in your pockets?"

"Oh, you know. The usual. A few buttons, some string. A carrot. A couple of oranges, a race car, a couple of joker cards...I think I've lost the rest of the card deck..." He went on and on, and gradually, Molly's eyes grew wider and wider. "...but no sonic screwdriver!"

Molly opened her mouth to say something, but was interrupted when a piercing cry rang throughout the woods.

The Doctor was immediately alert.

"What was that?" he muttered. "I swear it sounded like..."

Molly gasped, grasping onto the Doctor's hand. She pointed above them, high in the treetops.

A body was suspended in the air, blood trickling from its open mouth. The Doctor covered Molly's eyes.

"Don't look..." he told her.

"That..." Molly was crying now. The body above them was barely discernible amidst all the bloodiness and gore. It looked like someone or rather _something _had clawed it open and did a very sloppy job at patching it up again. But despite all that, the Doctor could tell that the body was female, with shoulder length brown hair, the exact same colour as...

He paled.

"That's...That's mum!" Molly buried her face in his chest, sobbing.

For once, words escaped the Doctor. He felt helpless holding her in his arms, and having no words of comfort to say. What could he say, anyway?


	6. Chapter 6

**A?N This is a rather short chapter, I wrote it, though, to make up for not updating sooner. Been busy and all that other crap :) Anyway, thanks for reading, and keep the reviews coming. I love hearing what you have to say about it**

**This one gets a bit darker, too. **

Molly was wracked with sobs the whole hour he took to find the TARDIS. Sonic screwdriver gone, he had to rely on his wits, and sense of direction...which had gotten them lost in the first place. The TARDIS though, was barely recognisable underneath al those branches, and leaves. It was almost like it was hiding, but he shook the idea from his head. He had other things to think about. Once he unlocked the doors (with just a snap of his fingers, of course) he instructured that Molly would stay there, he'd be right back. The TARDIS would look after her, while he went out to go and get some help. When she asked what that meant, he gave her a watery smile, leant down, and whispered, "Don't worry. You're safe her. She'll protect you."

And he left.

He felt horrible about leaving her like that, in the middle of the woods, but what was the other alternative? Make her watch as he carried the body-

"Her mother...her mother..." he muttered aloud. He understand perfectly what Molly Hooper was going through. In his opinion, no child should have ever gone through such an ordeal like this one. Her own mother!

And the way the body was torn in places...it didn't look like anything natural. After he'd get help, he'd have to go and find out whatever it was that attacked Molly's mother and...and...

He'd figure out that part later.

The look in her eyes...it was heart-wrenching to see. He hated the anguish and the pain that was there. The Doctor wanted to just take her away from all of it, make her forget the pain she was feeling and show her the joys of the universe...

But things had taken a turn for the worse. Plans would have to be changed. Put aside.

The Doctor wiped beads of sweat from his forehead.

Help. They needed help.

He could've just taken the TARDIS and flew them out of the forest, but a sudden feeling had struck him upon opening the doors. Old Girl wouldn't fly. She had been hiding all that tine he was with Molly. Clearly, she didn't want to go. There was a reason he was there, and apparently it had to do with Molly Hooper.

Molly Hooper. Yes, there was something undoubtedly familiar about her. He was hoping to find that out once they had taken off.

The Doctor glanced about him, memorising tree trunks, and forest patterns. He'd have to find his way back once he had gotten help.

A rustle in the trees startled him. He paused. Myabe it was the thing that had gotten Mrs. Hooper. He grimaced.

"Hello?" Another rustle. He spun immediately to his left. There? "Is anyone there?" Those words almost never actually did anything. He was wasting his breath, really, just opening his mouth. But oddly enough, the talking comforted him. He wasn't scared _per se, _it was just the thought he had left Molly behind.

"Hello?" There! At the corner of his eye, he had seen something. "Show yourself! I'm really not in the mood for any games..." There was blur between his eyes, and all of a sudden he felt this blinding pain hit his sides.

"Oh, you're going to have to do better than that!" he groaned. "Come on..." Another hit. Whatever it was, it was _fast. _"Come on! Show me your best!"

He had no idea where all this was coming from...the anger, the taunting...He didn't usually succumb to things like that...but now and then he broke. Molly needed him though. There was no time to break.

"COME ON!" He shouted. His voice carried throughout the forest, echoing eerily back to him.

A shape darted past his peripheral vision, managing to escape his quick-analytical skills. There was a frightful _whoosh _and he was struck violently from behind.

He doubled over in pain, wishing for the thousandth time he had his sonic screwdriver. He could've scanned what the thing was. Nut, to his annoyance, he had lost it.

"Fine. Be a cow-" And just like that, there was blackness.


End file.
